Cops: Man robbed pharmacy of painkillers

Nassau police Monday arrested a Rockville Centre man they said robbed a Lynbrook pharmacy of painkillers twice in three days.

Police said Joseph Chieffo, 27, demanded oxycodone after vaulting the counter of Pickers Pharmacy at 18 Atlantic Ave. Monday afternoon.

He was arrested a short while later at a Merrick Road deli with an undetermined number of pills. Police said Chieffo robbed the same pharmacy of oxycodone Saturday.

He was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday at First District Court, Hempstead.

Oxycodone is an opiate used to treat moderate to severe pain. Its use can be habit-forming, causing physical or mental dependence.

Police arrested a Westbury man in October in a series of oxycodone robberies. In June another man, David Laffer, 33, said he was looking for painkillers when he robbed Haven Drugs in Medford and killed four people in the store. He pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.